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Former Greek prime minister Papademos injured after letter bomb explodes in his car

Former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was injured after opening a letter bomb in his car.

Former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was injured on Thursday, May 25, after opening a letter bomb in his car in central Athens, Kathimerini English reported.

The state-run Athens News Agency reported the the former ECB Vice President underwent abdominal surgery in Evangelismos hospital, but Kathimerini English reported he suffered injuries to his hands and legs.

A police spokesperson said three people were injured in the blast. Kathimerini English reported those injured were Papademos, his driver and his bodyguard.

Police have not yet confirmed the blast was caused by a letter bomb.

Earlier devices

On March 25 it was reported that an envelope containing explosive material addressed to a financial institution in Dublin was intercepted at mail sorting centre in France. A number of suspect letters or packages were discovered at the sorting centre.

The Conspiracy of Fire Cells, a Greek far-left group, claimed responsibility for a similar device addressed to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble which was discovered in the mail room before it was opened on March 15.

On March 16, one person was injured at the Paris offices of the International Monetary Fund following a letter-bomb explosion in which one person was injured.

Both the Berlin and the Paris packages were likely sent from Greece. Both used the name of a Greek opposition lawmaker as sender and French investigators found “residues of Greek stamps.”

On March 21, Greek police intercepted eight parcel bombs an Athens postal office. The packages were addressed to European Union financial institutions and businesses in Athens.

In 2010, the Conspiracy of Fire Cells sent letter bombs to European politiciansincluding Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi, and to former head of the European commission Jose Manuel Barroso, the former head of the European Commission.

The organisation was designated as a foreign terrorist group in October 2011, by the US Department of State.

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